** HYR Weekly
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** Political Update
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** A NEWSLETTER FROM THE HOUSTON YOUNG REPUBLICANS
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** MAR. 09
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Welcome to this Sunday edition newsletter—let’s get into it!

In Washington, President Trump laid out his bold vision for a "Golden Age of America" in a powerful address to Congress, while his administration asserted American strength across the globe. The Senate continued advancing key nominees, while two Houston-area Congressmen significantly changed business as usual in the House—one tragically, one moronically.

In Texas, Harris County taxpayers were stunned to learn they’ve been unknowingly footing the legal bills for embattled County Judge Lina Hidalgo [D].


** Matt Murphy
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** Political Director
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** The Golden Age of America
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President Trump delivered an impassioned speech to a joint session of Congress, highlighting his administration’s accomplishments and vision for a "golden age" of America. Polling indicates his address strongly resonated with a strong majority of Americans. During President Trump’s address Democrats resorted to petty heckling and obstruction, and refusal to acknowledge, clap, or even get up from their seats or a child battling brain cancer, or a mother mourning the tragic loss of her child.
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Heartfelt Tributes with Houston Ties
* Honoring Jocelyn Nungaray: President Trump paid tribute to 12-year-old Houstonian Jocelyn Nungaray, tragically murdered by an illegal alien, by announcing an executive order to rename the national wildlife refuge in Anahuac in her honor.​
* Agent DJ Daniel: The President deputized 13-year-old Houstonian DJ Daniel, a brave Astros fan battling brain cancer, into the Secret Service, showcasing the administration’s commitment to uplifting American heroes.



** Peace Through Strength
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Last week, a high-stakes Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky took an unexpected turn. The meeting was intended to finalize a landmark agreement—one that would have secured U.S. military funding and support for Ukraine in exchange for access to Ukraine’s vast mineral reserves, estimated to be worth up to $14.8 trillion.

However, negotiations quickly broke down, with tensions escalating to the point that Zelensky was abruptly dismissed from the White House, leaving the deal unsigned. The fallout was immediate.

We strongly encourage our readers to watch the entire presser ([link removed]) , if you haven’t already. Most media pundits only focused on the last few minutes of the discussion, and refused to acknowledge Zelensky’s conduct throughout the first ~30 something minutes—or that he called the VP a “f****** b****” ([link removed]) in his native tongue.

As the reality of the EU’s inadequate militaristic strengthdawned upon them, President Trump froze military aid to Ukraine. His decision, which to the dismay of Democrats has very recent precedent ([link removed]) , forced the hands of the EU and Zelensky. They folded.

Zelensky came to his senses quickly, and publicly announced his desire return to the bargaining table; the EU suddenly found $840 billion in their couch cushions to bolster their respective militaries. By calling them on their bluff, the Trump administration got Zelensky to immediately reverse course and the EU to finally ([link removed]) invest in their own militaries in one fell swoop. The Art of the Deal.

Additionally, Putin volunteered to help serve as a mediator between the USA and Iran to renegotiate the weak Obama-era agreement “limiting” Iran’s nuclear weapons program; the Trump administration penned a letter to Iranian leadership to formally open discussions with their adversarial regime. De-escalatory negotiations in Europe and the Middle East are still fluid—but in the span of a week, the Trump administration made significant progress on the foreign affairs front.

Updates:

• President Trump threatened to levy sanctions and tariffsagainst Russia to forcefully encourage and hasten a ceasefire with Ukraine.

• Putin has announced he’s ready to sign a conditional truce with Ukraine.


** Nominations Continued
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* Lori Chavez-DeRemer passed her final procedural vote to serve as Labor Secretary by a 66-30 vote margin. She appears to be well on track for a final confirmation vote next week.
* The Senate Banking Committee voted Jonathan McKernan out of committee. McKernan has been charged with heading, and perhaps ultimately abolishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ([link removed]) (the bureau is the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren [D-MA]).
* Linda McMahon was confirmed as Education Secretary. President Trump is readying an EO to abolish her department ([link removed]) . We may well may see action on that front next week.



** Rest in Peace Sylvester Turner
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Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner [D-TX-18] passed away suddenly Tuesday night following a years-long battle with cancer. Turner was a giant presence in the city and his community over his 35 years in public service.

His seat will be filled by a special election, the timing of which is up to the discretion of Governor Abbott. The 18th district of Texas is deep blue, but given the tenuous party margins in the House, it’s possible Abbott won’t greenlight a special election any earlier than he has to.

We extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and constituency.


** Al Green Censured
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This week the House of Representatives voted--by a 224-198 margin; 10 Democrats broke ranks--to officially censure Houston’s own (unfortunately) Rep. Al Green [D-TX-9], a man who’s routinely engaged in wild political theatrics since assuming office in 2005.

During President Trump’s joint address to Congress, Rep. Al Green repeatedly shouted over him, unapologetically attempting to disrupt and derail proceedings and insert himself as the center of attention.

Vice President Vance and Speaker Johnson [R-LA-4] swiftly decided such conduct would not be tolerated, and removed Green from the House Chamber.

Let this be a reminder to the 198 Democrats who opposed censuring Green—especially those who embarrassingly took to the House Floor and broke out in song ([link removed]) after the censure vote—that bucking precedent goes both ways. The same party that eagerly silenced Reps. Paul Gosar [R-AZ-9] and Marjorie Taylor Greene [R-GA-14] just last Congress, got a bitter taste of their own medicine.

Miscellaneous Updates
* AG Bondi has indicated the Epstein files will be partially redacted ([link removed]) for “national security” purposes. ([link removed])
* DOGE inadvertently exposed a CIA black-site in Virginia ([link removed]) through their auditing efforts. A reminder that the CIA is not supposed to operate in a law enforcement capacity within the United States ([link removed].) .
* For those who celebrate ([link removed]) , the Death of Stalin Day was this week. Cheers.
* Essential reading: this piece by Robert Charles (former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell and White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr.) details the playbook corrupt federal bureaucrats use to cheat taxpayers ([link removed]) out of their money.
* The Ukraine-Russia war has been brewing for decades. I’d highly recommend—particularly to our younger readers, watching this video ([link removed]) for a quick history lesson.
* Food for thought ([link removed]) the next time a Democrat accuses President Trump of being a Russian puppet.
* The United Nations has an …interesting… take ([link removed]) on Thomas the Tank Engine.
* Two active duty and one former Army soldiers have been arrested ([link removed]) for conspiring to steal and sell classified military documents to China.
* Relatable ([link removed])



** Harris County Taxpayers Foot Lina Hidalgo’s Legal Bills, Pay for More Murals
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WRITTEN by Mark McCaig, The Texas Voice

Harris County Commissioners Court met Thursday and approved several items that raised the eyebrows of observers of county government.

One item on the agenda was to approve $672,402.29 in expenditures to three law firms that represented Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in connection with an investigation involving the alleged bid-rigging of a COVID-19 outreach contract that was awarded to a company owned by a Democratic political consultant. The agenda item said that Hidalgo’s “role in the investigation has concluded,” making her eligible for reimbursement from taxpayer dollars.

The reimbursement will provide Hidalgo’s campaign with a significant infusion of cash. Hidalgo’s most recent campaign finance report showed her campaign in the red with $41,304.52 in cash on hand and $51,400 in outstanding loans. Hidalgo’s campaign had paid the legal bills that Harris County taxpayers will now be reimbursing.

Three of Hidalgo’s then-aides were indicted on criminal charges arising from the allegations. In April 2024, after being defeated for re-election in the Democratic Primary, then-Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg handed the cases over to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.

Ogg’s decision to transfer the cases involving the Harris County Judge’s office to Paxton’s office was made with great fanfare, including a press conference that featured representatives from the Attorney General’s office and the Texas Rangers ([link removed]) .

Paxton’s office suddenly dropped the cases against Hidalgo’s former aides earlier this year ([link removed]) , providing very little explanation for the decision. Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who represented Hidalgo’s former Chief of Staff Alex Triantaphyllis, also represented Paxton against criminal securities fraud charges that had been brought against him as well as during his impeachment trial.

Holly Hansen of The Texan reported that another agenda item ([link removed]) , to pay $200,896.91 for legal fees related to the representation of an unnamed Harris County employee, was related to legal bills incurred by former Hidalgo aide Aaron Dunn.

Despite having approved a large property tax increase last year, Harris County Commissioners continued to prioritize expenditures on public art projects. One agenda item sought approval to spend $272,727 for four murals for the purpose of reducing violent crime ([link removed]) . A separate agenda item sought an additional $65,000 for the development of another mural ([link removed])

Howdy Hour | Israeli Consulate General

Mar. 18 - Consulate General of Israel networking event. (Giveaway).

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